Report: Reveal of Phil Mickelson "unforgivable act" would "SET OFF FIRESTORM!"

A report has divulged more information over the allegedly "unforgivable" act that Phil Mickelson did to upset LIV Golf's Pat Perez.

Ben Smith's picture
Wed, 16 Nov 2022
Report: Reveal of Phil Mickelson "unforgivable act" would "SET OFF FIRESTORM!"

What Phil Mickelson allegedly did to one of LIV Golf's most-opiniated players Pat Perez was so inflammatory it would set off a firestorm if the details emerged, according to a report by the author Alan Shipnuck who published Lefty's famously controversial remarks. 

In case this news passed you by, Perez, 46, recently went on Claude Harmon's Son of a Butch podcast where - as ever - he simply didn't hold back

Perez ripped into Tiger Woods, claiming that the 15-time major champion's comments about the breakaway tour at the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews were among the "stupidest s***" he has ever heard. 

Related: Perez reveals congratulatory messages from PGA Tour pros

The American - who was among nine players who changed their mind about LIV Golf - then approached the topic of Mickelson. 

It has to be said that Perez will never be drafted into the Hy Flyers. 

According to Perez he cannot forgive Mickelson for what he reportedly did. Even his wife Ashley Perez was upset. 

Shipnuck - who published an explosive book about Lefty earlier this year - has given his thoughts on the subject. 

Was the feud over money or sex?

He wrote:

Well, it ain't about money. In the course of reporting my book on Mickelson, I kept hearing of his rift with Perez, a fellow San Diego native. They have a lot of history. Perez has always fancied himself a Tiger guy, which means he has never been warm and cuddly toward Phil. But what inspired Perez to spout off on various podcasts lately was Mickelson doing something that deeply offended Perez and his wife, Ashley. I approached Pat a couple of times to see if he'd go on-record, but he declined. A handful of players and caddies told me they heard of the incident directly from Perez, but the details are so inflammatory I didn't feel comfortable putting the story in the book without direct confirmation. This whole situation is still clearly festering with Perez so we'll see if he chooses to make the details public. If so, that will certainly set off a firestorm."

Related: Has the next LIV Golf signee just been revealed?

We'll have to wait and see if we hear any more about this, but it certainly sounds spicy. 

What did Perez say about Mickelson?

Perez told the Son of a Butch podcast:

"When it comes to Phil, I have a different hate for Phil than most people.People won't know the story—I'm not going to go into the story again—but Phil crossed the line with me that is just uncrossable and unforgivable.
"He knows that he screwed up. He apologized for the action, but I cannot forgive him for it because I've known Phil for a long, long time. I've known the guy forever. And the fact that when he made this action, not only was it—he had intentions of doing it; he knew it was going to happen before it happened and when he did it—I was hurt, for one. I was like 'How can this guy do this?'
"I didn't really go into it on Colt's thing, but I told Colt and said, 'You've cut out all the reasons of why I don't like Phil.' The other side of the coin is that everyone thought that Phil was greedy. No, he wasn't greedy."

Perez will once again be a participant in the LIV Golf League in 2023 as a member of the 4 Aces GC side, captained by Dustin Johnson.

LIV Golf have confirmed the first venue that will host one of their 14 events next year where their will be up as many as 60 players involved. 

Next page: How much every LIV Golf player won in 2022